If sleep has not been your friend lately, you’re not alone.
So many women have shared that restless nights are their biggest energy drain—especially during perimenopause and menopause.
And let’s be real: losing sleep isn’t just about feeling groggy. It impacts everything—your mood, focus, metabolism, and even your body's ability to fight inflammation.
I’m sharing my 5 simple shifts to help you sleep like a dream.
1. Finding My Light
We know our body runs on a natural rhythm. Our cortisol rises in the morning to energize us, then tapers off as melatonin kicks in at night. Light exposure controls these shifts, so give your system the right cues:
☀️Morning: I work on getting 15+ minutes of direct sunlight or foggy light within an hour of waking when I go out on my morning walks. For the mornings I workout indoors, I workout by a window so I can get natural light as the sun rises.
🌙 Evening: I dim our bedroom lights and any blue light (TV, phone, laptop) at least an hour before bed. In that time, I do my bedtime routine of getting my sleep environment in order.
2. Sleep Environment
Your sleep environment matters! Tonight, pick one thing to help:
❄️Cool (I set my AC to 65-68°F )
🪟 Dark (blackout curtains or a sleep mask…I use BOTH)
🔇Quiet ( white noise machine on my night stand)
🛌Comfortable (I use a weighted blanket to keep me from tossing)
3. Watch What & Time Of My Intake Before Bed
What you sip affects how you sleep:
☕️Caffeine: For me, none after 3:00PM.
🍷Alcohol: Cutting back has improved my sleep so much!
🥛 Warm glass of “something”: Naturally makes me feel relaxed and sleepy
💦Limit drinks after 8 PM to avoid those 3 AM bathroom trips.
4. Bedtime Routine
Important that I have a “wind down” routine every night. I cannot go from 100 - 0 mph by plopping into bed and falling asleep right away. I have created a bedtime routine, kinda like I did with my kids growing up!
Create a pre-bed routine to cue your body to relax:
📖 Read, journal, or do a calming meditation.
🛁Take a warm bath or shower.
💆🏻♀️Follow a simple skincare routine.
Your brain will start associating this routine with sleep, making it easier to drift off.
5. Decide How Many Hours You Need
This is the step most people skip!
⏰ Decide how many hours you need and work backwards. If your alarm goes off at 5:30 every morning ( like me) and I need at least 8 hours of sleep, I aim at shutting off my light at 9:00 PM the latest!
🔔 Maybe even set a bedtime alarm and hour before that to remind you to start unwinding!
I hope these tips help you! Love to hear what works for you.
Thank you sharing these tips. I am not happy that I don't sleep straight through the night. I usually wake up once or twice in the space of 6 hours. I usually get 6-7hrs of sleep. Fortunately, I usually fall back asleep soon after waking up. However, I don't feel well rested most times when I wake in the mornings. I am however able to get without undue delay and have a very productive day!
I usually start the day with an early morning walk so I get some sun (as was recommended in the article) and I get to clear my mind. And one of my pre-bedtime activities is to make entries in my Gratitude Journal. I find this…